Cotter.



G. L. WAITT.

' GOTTER. 1

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25, 1913. 1,0925876. Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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\A/iTNEZ-IEEEI ATTDRNEYEL.

GEORGE IJ' WAITI, F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CUTTER.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen L. VVArrr, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county ofErie and State of New York, have invented. new and useful Improvementsin Cotter-s, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a cotter or key for holding a bolt or the likein an opening in which the same has been placed.

It is the object of this invention to produce a strong, durable andefficient cotter from sheet metal at low cost and of such a constructionthat the same is securely held in the bolt through which it passes andalso is held against rattling.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical section in part ofa bolt provided with my improved cotter. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionof the same taken in line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blankfrom which the cotter embodying my invention is constructed. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the cotter in its completed form. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the cotter showing the condition of the same readyfor use.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

In the drawings my improved cotter is shown applied to an ordinarycoupling bolt which has a cylindrical shank or body 1 adapted to passthrough a body and provided at one end with a head 2 adapted to bearagainst one side of said body and provided at its opposite end with atransverse opening 3 which is adapted to receive my improved cotter.This cotter is preferably constructed of a flat plate 1 of sheet metalpreferably of oblong form and provided near its opposite ends withtransverse cleavages 5, 6, which preferably extend transversely inwardpartway from one of the longitudinal edges of the plate and formtransverse stop lugs 7, 8 at opposite ends of the plate. One of thesecleavages, for instance 5, is con structed by simply slitting the metaland thereby leaving the inner transverse edge 9 of the adjacent stop lug7 perpendicular relative to the length of the cotter. The other cleavage6 is however formed by removing some of the stock of the plate andproducing a beveled or inclined face 10 on the inner transverse edge ofthe other stop Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 25, 1913.

Patented Apr. 1st, 191 i. Serial No. 786,586.

lug 8 and tapering the same laterally, as shown in Fig. 3.

In manufacturing and marketing this cotter the same is made with thestop lug 7 bent laterally at right angles to the body of the plate butthe other lug 8 is left unbent and remaining in the same plane as thebody of the plate, as shown in Fig. 5. In this condition of the cotterthe same may be passed with its unbent end through the opening in thecoupling bolt until the rear stop lug 7 bears with its inner transverseedge 9 against the adjacent outer part of the bolt. The other stop lug 8is now bent laterally at right angles or nearly so to the body of theplate, thereby locking the cotter in the bolt. and preventing the samefrom being withdrawn therefrom. Upon bending the stapling 8 laterallyits inner beveled or inclined edge or face 10 engages the edge of theadjacent end of the bolt opening with a wedging action, as shown in Fig.2, thereby tightening the cotter in the bolt and preventing the samefrom rattling. The inclined face 10 of the stop lug 8 is preferably ofsuch extent that the same will engage the adjacent edge of the boltopening notwithstanding that there may be slight variations in the sizeor diameter of the shank or body of the bolt or similar article whichreceives the cotter.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cotter constructed of a plate which is provided with transversecleavages forming two stop lugs at opposite ends of the plate which arebendable laterally for confining the cotter in the opening of a bolt orthe like, the inner transverse edge of one of said lugs being beveled sothat said lug tapers laterally.

2. A cotter constructed of a plate which is provided with transversecleavages forming two stop lugs at opposite ends of the plate which arebendable laterally for confining the cotter in the opening of a bolt orthe like, the inner transverse edge of one of said lugs being beveled sothat said lug tapers laterally while the inner transverse edge of theother lug is perpendicular relative to the length of said plate.

Witness my hand this 20th day of August, 1913.

GEORGE L. VVAITT. Witnesses THno. L. PoPP, ANNA I-Inrers.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

